MDOT Supports Older Driver Safety Week

It's a fact of life that people grow older each day. With increasing age come changes in physical, mental and sensory abilities that can challenge a person's continued ability to drive safely.

The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) has named December 1 -5, 2014 as Older Driver Safety Awareness Week. AOTA aims to promote understanding of the importance of mobility and transportation to ensure older adults remain active in the community with the confidence that transportation will not be the barrier to strand them at home.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) continues to provide a variety of safe travel options for people of all ages and is responsible for programs such as service delivery, technical assistance and training components. In addition, MDOT plays a major role in coordinating statewide transportation plans while allocating and providing oversight of federal transit funds. MDOT also works alongside local, state and tribal governments to provide mass transit services.

The Rural Transportation Assistance Program (RTAP) is a federal program funded through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) that provides a source of funding to assist in the design and implementation of training and technical assistance and other support services tailored to meet the specific needs of transit operators in areas with populations of less than 50,000. You can learn more about MDOT's Public Transit programs here: http://mdot.ms.gov/portal/public_transit.aspx.

Each day throughout Older Driver Safety Awareness Week, AOTA will highlight different aspects of older driver safety each day. You can view these dates and topics here: http://www.aota.org/olderdriverweek

When we are in the throes of the holidays we often forget to take care of ourselves. The doctors at Merit Health Medical group said it's the simple things we forget like: drinking plenty of water, getting enough sleep and eating right. Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Jonathan Reves reminded us the little things can make a big impact on our health. He said to keep this in mind. "You have to watch out for number one," Reves said. Dr. Reves of Merit Health Medical...

When we are in the throes of the holidays we often forget to take care of ourselves. The doctors at Merit Health Medical group said it's the simple things we forget like: drinking plenty of water, getting enough sleep and eating right. Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Jonathan Reves reminded us the little things can make a big impact on our health. He said to keep this in mind. "You have to watch out for number one," Reves said. Dr. Reves of Merit Health Medical...

Health Help Hattiesburg is offering free healthcare enrollment applications and assistance to residents. Program Manager Samantha Wells says that open enrollment ends December 15 and they want to make sure that everyone gets insured. “We want them to go ahead and give us a call and we can try to help them out and guide them through the process for free.” Wells says that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is still here and that the health insurance plans will not be affected ...

Health Help Hattiesburg is offering free healthcare enrollment applications and assistance to residents. Program Manager Samantha Wells says that open enrollment ends December 15 and they want to make sure that everyone gets insured. “We want them to go ahead and give us a call and we can try to help them out and guide them through the process for free.” Wells says that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is still here and that the health insurance plans will not be affected ...

Authorities said two street gangs are responsible for a Monday afternoon shooting at the Bonhomie Apartments, where three people were injured and over 70 shots were fired. Around 1 p.m. on Dec. 11, Hattiesburg police responded to a report of shots fired at 1810 Country Club Road, Bonhomie Apartments. “Within minutes we had subjects into custody, within hours we had many subjects in custody,” said Hattiesburg Police Captain Branden McLemore. According to police, the two ...

Authorities said two street gangs are responsible for a Monday afternoon shooting at the Bonhomie Apartments, where three people were injured and over 70 shots were fired. Around 1 p.m. on Dec. 11, Hattiesburg police responded to a report of shots fired at 1810 Country Club Road, Bonhomie Apartments. “Within minutes we had subjects into custody, within hours we had many subjects in custody,” said Hattiesburg Police Captain Branden McLemore. According to police, the two ...